Where do I go from here? Or, a newbie needs help

Including I said around my introductory line, I’m visually/creatively… bereft. Now i’m a programmer earliest, second, and 3rd, and am much more comfortable with records structures than Illustrator. That said, because I’m a one-man freelance provider, my lack associated with artistic ability may be a liability. Simply put, I need to stop sucking on the subject of design.

One problem. I don’t know where to look or what direction to go to improve. WHEN I also can’t draw. I haven’t tried out to draw whatever for real seeing that middle school. That is over 20 rice.

Hence, that said, I think the great thing to do is usually to ‘highlight’ what I’ve done. Hopefully that could shed some gentle on where Now i am at, and what exactly the long path before me ought to entail.

Primary, a WordPress internet site I redesigned for your client. Amazingly, it actually looked a whole lot worse before Managed to get my hands with it. The undeniable fact that I could improve on a straight more horrendous energy is nice, but I’m not exactly satisfied with what I’ve completed, either: http: //thesewingdivaquiltshop. com/

My biggest gripe will be the middle area belonging to the home page. I originally thought that the client was planning to only put up a few events, and then make use of the calender plugin for the rest. Instead, she keeps installing an entire month+ worth of activities, stretching your website comically. I’m uncertain how to tackle it.

Dimension, in general, can be an issue having me. I such as the current trend connected with ‘fat’ headers and also footers, but I (obviously) have no idea of how, or regardless if, to do the item. The slideshow was about to be wider, however she wanted this info area….

Second can be a WIP: http: //www. mpphp. com/Index. jpg Note which the logo is intentionally blurred out. It is the only part I’m very pleased of. I actually got a graphic designer help me considering the header, but I’m uncertain about the random world. Or the chunky switches. I tried matching underneath area (the " Latest X" ) for you to it, with middling outcome. The footer will have more than a couple of copyrights.

Very last is my home/portfolio internet site: http: //majorproductionsnh. com/ Just like the copyright says, I haven’t touched this from a couple years. IMO, there’s almost no of a design there. I’m not sure how to make it pop. I know that part belonging to the problem is a deficiency of content. Most of my work experience arises from things I won’t be able to showcase (sites that happen to be now defunct, possess changed developers, many NDAs, etc), so it’s a little a chicken in addition to egg scenario. I need projects to put in a portfolio. Its hard for getting projects without a new portfolio.

What content can there be was written rapidly. I had to have the site online by way of a certain date to qualify for really good free hosting (my own VPS for just a year).

I do think my biggest deficiencies will be in overall design. Now i’m comfortable with HTML, and am really okay with CSS (I’m somewhat anal retentive in relation to testing, so that tends to make up for no matter what gaps I have). My problem is always that, when I sit looking at Photoshop to produce a layout, I do not know what to do. I know i need the standard parts – header, routing, content, footer – however assembling them from a visually appealing technique just never would seem to happen. I recently know that what ever I do constantly looks off.

I don’t understand if I should find out to think as being a designer, or develop the basic tenets associated with design presented in my experience as programmer favorable documentation. I’m open to both. All I know is that We would like to improve.

There may be basic color theory, which has quite strict rules that you could just remember. As well, take in thought the layout rules.

Others is up for your requirements.

Head to noupe. com, it’s a great resource to get designers. Provides ideas, examples, inspiration, and so on. Take a browse around there, see what you prefer, and try to draw something up that’s in that design. Once you have a template in Ai, make sure you have no problem with transferring them to HTML/CSS.

Proper way to learn design could be to draw something, bring it here, receive berated, and allow it to be better on your next try

If you need more resources, I have about a metric ton more Allow me to share.

A few pointer use Illustrator or perhaps Photoshop for layouts Concerning the CS4 variations of both. I have a tendency to use PS, but if AI can be a better choice, I’m all correctly.

Are there any resources of which address sizing issues inside a layout Like, header/footer elevation considerations Padding/margins/gutters I have used 960. gs, but I’ve always been curious about how they came for the widths of that columns/gutters, and regardless of whether the same units could possibly be used for height along with width. That’s my biggest hangup next time i sit in front of the screen – when will i size my website components properly

As a final point, thanks for this links! The color one especially is interesting.

Now i’m personally in enjoy with Ai, hence I use of which. It’s just way easier to me, but it’s many opinion. Also, you are able to resize anything in order to infinity.

Sizing is up to you. Check out fluid and fixed layouts to find out which you would like to use. There aren’t actually any rules on how to proportion your site out. Do what is best suited for for your web-site. Make sure how the website is optimized to get a screen at least 1024px wide, no use going under that. Change up a person’s screen resolution and see how a site looks inside different ones.

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